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Stunning detail in Emma Raducanu epic before US Open defence

andrew reid
·4-min read
Pictured here, Emma Raducanu winning her round of 16 match at the Citi Open.
Emma Raducanu's Citi Open round of 16 triumph was the longest two-set match on the WTA Tour so far in 2022. Pic: Getty/WTA

Emma Raducanu has tuned up for her US Open title defence with an extraordinary win at the Citi Open in Washington, in what was the longest two-set match on the WTA Tour this year.

The British teen - who created history last year after winning the US Open as a qualifier - reached her second quarter-final of the season by beating Camila Osorio in a gruelling encounter at the Citi Open.

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The World No.10 defied the oppressive weather conditions and blisters on her right hand to triumph 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-4) on a hot and humid day in Washington DC.

Raducanu's marathon victory took two hours and 50 minutes, making it the longest straight-sets WTA main-draw match of 2022.

The 19-year-old was full of praise for her gritty opponent after the match, with Osorio fighting back from 5-1 down and three break points down in the first set, to force a tiebreak in the opener.

Raducanu rattled off four straight points to clinch the tiebreak and the first set, before being pushed all the way in the second set as well.

With temperatures peaking at around 36 degrees on court, Raducanu admitted the conditions took a toll during a brutal encounter.

After the players met for a hug at the net, Raducanu appeared to be too exhausted for a full wave to the crowd.

"I think I died about three times in that match and I came back - honestly, I don't know how," Raducanu said in her post-match comments.

"Camila is such a battler. I was working so hard for every single point.

"When she comes back, the dynamic of the match changes a bit, so I am just really pleased to have got through that one."

Emma Raducanu overcomes heat and hand blisters

Raducanu will now meet world No.60 Liudmila Samsonova for a berth in the semi-final after she beat Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic.

Samsonova had to come from behind to beat the Aussie, eventually winning 4-6 6-3 6-2.

Amid the soaring temperatures Raducanu took a medical timeout late in the second set to get treatment from a trainer for blisters on her racket-wielding right hand.

Seen here, Britain's Emma Raducanu returns a shot during one of her matches at the Citi Open in Washington, DC.
Britain's Emma Raducanu returns a shot during one of her matches at the Citi Open in Washington, DC. Pic: Getty

"It came out of nowhere to be honest. At the beginning of the match I was alright, then throughout the match my skin was just ripping off," Raducanu revealed.

"In the beginning, there was like a flap but then the flap got ripped off and it was pretty raw and open. Sorry if it’s TMI (too much information) but you know!”

Raducanu's only other quarter-final appearance in a dozen tournaments in 2022 came back in April on red clay at Stuttgart, Germany, where she lost at that stage to No.1-ranked Iga Swiatek.

The British teen, who won the US Open at Flushing Meadows as a qualifier a year ago at age 18, has struggled with form and a number of injuries so far in 2022.

with AAP

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